I find the console wars confusing.

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To start off I want to say that I have a PC and I game on it. I have never owned a console, but I have played on them.

I enjoy using PCs to game more because of the graphics and I like using keyboard more than controllers as well as I like that you can do other things as well on a PC.

However, I don't understand people who look down on console gamers. It seems that a console is more seamless as well and because of the ways controllers work it is easier to connect them to TVs and have a shared experience. I understand that PCs can do all of this but it takes much more effort and expertise than on a console. I don't really understand the criticism. This is their money they are spending, not yours and they enjoy the experience, so what is the problem?

I understand that a lot of this is fueled by memes but I do know some people who are serious about this.

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what annoys me most is how locked down those things are. i would buy one if i could just dual-boot the console OS and Windows. that way i can play all the pc games i already own and the exclusives... but i can't. even though current consoles use regular AMD apu's running x86.

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what annoys me most is how locked down those things are. i would buy one if i could just dual-boot the console OS and Windows. that way i can play all the pc games i already own and the exclusives... but i can't. even though current consoles use regular AMD apu's running x86.

Luckily it looks like microsoft is finally starting to transfer down this route with the xbox. Congrats on 5000 lol

OP, its because people like to take sides, have stereotypes and stay defensive to their own actions. Same thing applies to all decisions where there's a small amount of options for a lot of people. Eg. Politics

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I think it's silly to make fun of anyone for choosing how they want to spend their time, as long as it's not actively hurting other people. If someone gets mad at someone else for "wasting their money," they probably should take one long look at themselves in the mirror.

1 minute ago, firelighter487 said:

what annoys me most is how locked down those things are. i would buy one if i could just dual-boot the console OS and Windows. that way i can play all the pc games i already own and the exclusives... but i can't. even though current consoles use regular AMD apu's running x86.

That's because they're not actually PCs. A PC isn't an x86 based system. It's an x86 based system with a bunch of other things dating back to 1981 attached to it.

Though depending on what Windows is expecting and how it sets up the system, it may not care about those old things. However, Linux does care. You cannot install an i386 or amd64 build of Linux on a PS4 without modifying the kernel.

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what annoys me most is how locked down those things are. i would buy one if i could just dual-boot the console OS and Windows. that way i can play all the pc games i already own and the exclusives... but i c﻿an't. even though current consoles use regular AMD apu's running x86.

Thats true, but the people I know who use console don't care about them.

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OP, its because people like to take sides, have stereotypes and stay defensive to their own actions. Same thing applies to all decisions where there's a small amount of options for a lot of people. Eg. Politics﻿

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That's because they're not actually PCs. A PC isn't an x86 based system. It's an x86 based system with a bunch of other things dating back to 1981 attached to it.

Though depending on what Windows is expecting and how it sets up the system, it may not care about those old things. However, Linux does care. You cannot install an i386 or amd64 build of Linux on a PS4 without modifying the kernel.

you could run Linux on a PS3 though, before Sony removed that with a software update. and that ran a completely different architecture.

2 minutes ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

I think it's silly to make fun of anyone for choosing how they want to spend their time, as long as it's not actively hurting other people. If someone gets mad at someone else for "wasting their money," they probably should take one long look at themselves in the mirror.

i don't get mad at people who buy consoles but i do think those are a waste. becuase all the games you buy are locked to that platform... if the console dies you can't play your games anymore and you can't easily replace individual components.

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you could run Linux on a PS3 though, before Sony removed that with a software update. and that ran a completely different architecture.

You couldn't run the i386 or amd64 build either. What's your point?

15 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

i don't get mad at people who buy consoles but i do think those are a waste. becuase all the games you buy are locked to that platform... if the console dies you can't play your games anymore and you can't easily replace individual components.

The same thing happens on PCs. Example: anything that used DirectSound is worthless now because Microsoft removed support for it in Vista. You could work around it using OpenAL but that's if there's support for that too.

Also good luck running things from the Windows 98 era as well as they did back then on anything modern.

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The same thing happens on PCs. Example: anything that used DirectSound is worthless now because Microsoft removed support for it in Vista. You could work around it using OpenAL but that's if there's support for that too.

Also good luck running things from the Windows 98 era as well as they did back then on anything modern.

Microsoft removed it. i've seen that Wine can still run a lot of that older stuff. not all of it but a lot.

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Microsoft removed it. i've seen that Wine can still run a lot of that older stuff. not all of it but a lot.

also i can use an older OS in a VM....

If the VM supports it well enough. Virtual box doesn't have great Windows support before XP.

And if we're going this route, then technically some consoles's games are still playable. I can backup my PS1 and PS2 library and run them on emulators. I can get a ROM dumper for my SNES and N64 collection too

Others do that for other reasons like they imagine that they don't need the console games - because the best single player only games came out on consoles this year...

4 hours ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

It seems that a console is more seamless as well and because of the ways controllers work it is easier to connect them to TVs and have a shared experience.

depends on the console...

The japanese ones absolutely, because they removed all the unnecessary stuff. You get a very simple UI. The other one meh. Its overly complicated does want to do too much but doesn nothing right and they already had a good UI for the console. You know the one that everyone bashed and hated in "Version 8".

4 hours ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

I understand that PCs can do all of this but it takes much more effort and expertise than on a console.

I do not agree with that Statement.

If a PC is prebuilt and setup, its not much different from a console these days...

The bugs and shit like that are on both systems...

So what's left???

Not much I have to say...

4 hours ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

I don't really understand the criticism. This is their money they are spending, not yours and they enjoy the experience, so what is the problem?

Exactly!

And I got myself a new console just yesterday! So the only thing in my collection missing is the Vita so far...

Got a new new 3DS XL for 199,99€ fresh, unused from a Store.

Not to be mistaken for a new old 3DS or an old new 3DS

And the most amazing thing: I even had a charger for that device at home

4 hours ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

Does anyone agree with me?

I agree that the thing to play the game on should be seen as a "black" box that plays games and treated as such.

Meaning it doesn't matter what hardware it comes with.

Meaning it doesn't matter who did it.

All that matters is the games it allows you to play that you couldn't before. Everything else is utterly unimportant.

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you could run Linux on a PS3 though, before Sony removed that with a software update. and that ran a completely different architecture.

yes because its a specialized distribution made to be run on the PS3.

The reason Sony removed that ability might be because too many companys were buying thousands of PS3 for their Server/Workstations crap and made clusters out of it...

4 hours ago, firelighter487 said:

i don't get mad at people who buy consoles but i do think those are a waste. becuase all the games you buy are locked to that platform... if the console dies you can't play your games anymore and you can't easily replace individual components.

That is not entirely true and depends on what you are talking about...

WiiU or Nintendo games yes, the Games are locked to your console sometimes. At least that is what people are saying.

But for the rest, its not. SO if the console dies just get a new one and replace it. The Games you got are often still on physical discs because they are cheaper when you're getting them new. For older consoles that are EOL for a while it makes sense to get it digital because its cheaper. FOr example. Ni No Kuni Digital 19,99€. Used: 30€...

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However, I don't understand people who look down on console gamers. -- This is their money they are spending, not yours and they enjoy the experience, so what is the problem?

Advertising used to be a lot more aggressive, with outright direct bashing of competing brands. Even though that's not the case anymore, it could have contributed a great deal to the social norms still surrounding applicable markets today. Of course humans' competitive nature and desire to belong to a group helps a great deal too, but I suspect that gaming is where this behaviour blooms the most.

Kids of course stretch this to everything, and if you get bullied because your parents didn't buy you the right brand jeans, who knows how you'll end up.

On a positive note, as long as companies continue to work towards cross-platform multiplayer and services like Game Pass, maybe this behaviour dwindles down. Who knows, exclusives could end up something you can experience on any platform through limited streaming, with purposely reduced quality. Sure, there'll always be the "lol, is that the best you could afford, loser!" -aspect, but I don't think that's a particularly big part of the "wars". (Pardon me getting so sidetracked.)

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I never understood the mentality of taking sides with consumer packaged goods. When it comes to gaming, I'm in it for the games. Some of the best games and experiences have happened with consoles and I'm glad I didn't have to pick a side.

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I never understood the mentality of taking sides with consumer packaged goods. When it comes to gaming, I'm in it for the games. Some of the best games and experiences have happened with consoles and I'm glad I didn't have to pick a side.

People need to feel justified spending what usually amounts to a week's or month's worth of money for something more essential on something else they don't really need.

I believe if someone feels a need to defend themselves, they're wavering in their convictions. Either you were fine with what you feel about something or you're really not and you have to constantly justify why.

And also this quote, by Chuck Palahniuk, as for why anyone would want to "attack" someone for say having one console or another: “That’s the best revenge of all: happiness. Nothing drives people crazier than seeing someone have a good fucking life.”

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It's all in the name of having an e-peen or compensation, usually both.

I personally don't care much for consoles, but a lot of people do. Why ruin the fun for them? They obviously enjoy it. People have their means of entertainment for damn near anything. I like my physical discs for movies, shows and music, but I like my digital storefronts for games. Many people have their preferences, and I'm not losing sleep if someone uses Apple Music or Hulu over ripping a CD or watching straight from the Blu-ray.

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It's all in the name of having an e-peen or compensation, usually both.

I don't disagree with that statement.

And also the need to defend the shit that they have. In some cases that makes them attack the other side or misrepresent the own side (ie overselling some features of "their" console while "forgetting" to mention the downsides).....

7 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

I personally don't care much for consoles, but a lot of people do. Why ruin the fun for them? They obviously enjoy it. People have their means of entertainment for damn near anything.

Exactly!

And we should start seeing those things as boxes that allow us to play games we couldn't play before.

I always recommend people having a somewhat gamable PC and then a console that has a ton of exclusives...

Red Dead Redemption 2 will come to PC sooner rather than later. Probably later this year...

But there are some games that will never be on PC that are however totally worth it...

7 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

I like my physical discs for movies, shows and music, but I like my digital storefronts for games.

I like my physical discs or cartdridges for games as well

Sorry, had to mention that. Because Consoles still use Discs...

Because thanks to the garbage Copy Protection shit, Bluray was never accepted on PC and modern PCs don't even have an optical drive in many cases. Well, understandable...

But there is one thing where consoles can shine, if the manufacturer of that console isn't totally behind and sleeping. And that is input device innovation!